NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Hazel Green, AL
Every tropical system within 75 miles since 1851 and every tornado within 25 miles since 1950.
Data: NOAA NHC HURDAT2 and NOAA SPC tornado and hail reports, through 2025 · Updated
7 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Hazel Green, Alabama since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Opal in 1995. Since 1950, 174 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 19 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 7
- Tornadoes
- 174
- EF3 or stronger
- 19
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
169 deaths in all
What the records show for Hazel Green
None of the 7 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Hazel Green; the strongest was Frederic in 1979, a tropical storm with 46 mph winds when its centre passed 28 miles away. The record near Hazel Green begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was Opal in 1995, a tropical storm 44 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1910s, with 2 systems. None of the 7 systems has come since 2000. Of the 323 Alabama cities on this site, 90% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Hazel Green. The highest rating among the 174 tornadoes within 25 miles is F5 or EF5, reached 3 times; the most recent, on April 27, 2011, came within 5 miles. Of the 174, 21 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 113 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 49. The most recent tornado was on May 27, 2025. Hazel Green has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 86% of the 323 Alabama cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 112 times since 1967, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Hazel Green has more hail reports within 10 miles than 86% of the 323 Alabama cities.
Compare Hazel Green's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Hazel Green
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 17 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormOct 19 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Hazel Green: a hurricane's worst winds sit within a few dozen miles of its centre, and inland cities are usually past that.
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Hazel Green
By decade
- 2020s30(1 EF3+)
- 2010s48(4 EF3+)
- 2000s35(1 EF3+)
- 1990s14(2 EF3+)
- 1980s12(1 EF3+)
- 1970s19(6 EF3+)
- 1960s6
- 1950s10(4 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF5 | 5 mi | 132 mi | 72 / 145 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F5 | 10 mi | 52 mi | 28 / 267 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F5 | 5 mi | 83.3 mi | 16 / 190 |
| Nov 15, 1989 | F4 | 16 mi | 18.5 mi | 21 / 463 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 6 mi | 27.5 mi | 11 / 121 |
| Mar 22, 1952 | F4 | 19 mi | 21.6 mi | 4 / 50 |
| Feb 13, 1952 | F4 | 24 mi | 12.7 mi | 3 / 44 |
| Feb 29, 1952 | F4 | 14 mi | 2 mi | 2 / 150 |
| May 18, 1995 | F4 | 9 mi | 39 mi | 1 / 55 |
| Apr 28, 2014 | EF3 | 5 mi | 26.76 mi | 2 / 0 |
| Apr 28, 2014 | EF3 | 23 mi | 15.56 mi | 2 / 30 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 17 mi | 46.5 mi | 2 / 7 |
The strongest 12 of 174, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Hazel Green
The Storm Prediction Center has 112 hail reports within 10 miles of Hazel Green since 1967, made on 62 separate days. Of these, 66 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.75 inches (baseball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently April 10, 2009. The most recent report is from July 2, 2023. April has the most reports, 35.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Hazel Green
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Fayetteville Wtp, TN, 13 miles north of Hazel Green at 742 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 68°F; January is the coolest, at 50°F and 31°F. December is the wettest at 6.5 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 3.8 inches; the year adds up to 59.9 inches over 91 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 51 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 72 nights a year. Snowfall averages 1.1 inches a year, most of it in March. That 59.9 inches is more than at 74 of the 107 Alabama stations used on this site (69%). Toney, 8 miles southwest, has its own station (Athens, AL): 59.1 inches a year, 0.8 less than here, and a July average high of 90°F against 89°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 50 | 31 | 5.3 | 8 | 0.2 |
| Feb | 55 | 33 | 5.7 | 8 | 0.4 |
| Mar | 63 | 40 | 5.8 | 9 | 0.5 |
| Apr | 73 | 48 | 5.2 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 80 | 56 | 4.7 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 86 | 64 | 4.9 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 89 | 68 | 5.0 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 89 | 66 | 4.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 84 | 60 | 4.1 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 74 | 48 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 62 | 38 | 4.8 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 52 | 33 | 6.5 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Year | 71 | 49 | 59.9 | 91 | 1.1 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Fayetteville Wtp, TN (742 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals. Normals describe the station; the farther a place is from it, and the bigger the difference in height, the more its weather can differ.
Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Hazel Green
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 321 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Hazel Green: 250 thunderstorm wind reports, 45 flash floods, 14 lightning strikes, 7 floods and 5 heavy rain events. They killed 1 person and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $10.5 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on April 3, 2007. Of the 321 Alabama cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 277 have had fewer than Hazel Green.
September 19, 2021: flash flood 1 mile from the centre of Hazel Green — 1 killed.
NWS: “A 35 year old man drowned as a strong water current pulled him into a nearby drainage pipe along Bullard Road.”
May 26, 2006: lightning strike 6 miles from the centre of Hazel Green — 1 injured.
March 30, 2022: thunderstorm wind 3 miles from the centre of Hazel Green — $7.5 million damage.
NWS: “A power pole was reported down at this location.”
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, events whose starting point is on record, 1996 to June 30, 2026. Damage is the NWS estimate in the dollars of the year, not insured losses, and NWS notes that some reports are unverified.
Flood insurance claims, disaster declarations and FEMA risk ratings
Flood insurance policyholders in Hazel Green's ZIP code 35750 have filed 12 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1990, and were paid $155,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 17% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 118 Alabama cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 4 have fewer than Hazel Green.
Madison County, which includes Hazel Green, has been named in 21 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 12 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 severe storms, 6 hurricanes, 3 tornadoes, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 29, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Madison County a Relatively High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for lightning; Relatively High for tornadoes, inland flooding and strong wind; Relatively Moderate for heat waves; Relatively Low for hurricanes and hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $179.6 million a year, the 4th highest of 67 Alabama counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $99.1 million (55%), is from inland flooding.
Claims: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset FIMA NFIP Redacted Claims – v3, summed over ZIP codes; payments in the dollars of each year, not adjusted for inflation. Declarations: Disaster Declarations Summaries – v2, by county. Retrieved October 25, 2026. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
Risk ratings: FEMA, National Risk Index county table, December 2025 (v1.20), retrieved October 26, 2026; ratings compare counties nationwide, are meant for planning and are no substitute for a local risk assessment. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index dataset API or downloadable datasets but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
Hazel Green in the notable storm records: The April 27, 2011 EF5 Tornado in Alabama, near Madison
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.